The Real Reason Tom Price Resigned | The Last Word

>>> BY THE WAY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE VOTES?
YOU BETTER GET THEM. HE BETTER GET THEM.
OTHERWISE I'LL SAY, TOM, YOU'RE FIRED.
I'LL GET SOMEBODY. >> AND TODAY, TOM PRICE, THE
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY, RESIGNED.
BECOMING THE FIRST CABINET SECRETARY TO LEAVE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION. TECHNICALLY, IT WASN'T HEALTH
CARE THAT TOOK HIM DOWN. PRICE RESIGNED AFTER DAYS AFTER
SCRUTINY FOR JETTING AROUND THE COUNTRY ON PRIVATE PLANES.
ACCORDING TO SOME ESTIMATES, HIS PRIVATE JET TRIPS GOBBLED UP
MORE THAN $1 MILLION OF TAXPAYER MONEY.
IN HIS RESIGNATION LETTER PRICE SAID, I REGRET THAT THE RECENT
EVENTS HAVE CREATED A DISTRACTION.
THE PRESIDENT TODAY ACCEPTED PRICE'S RESIGNATION MAKING DON
J. WRIGHT, THE CURRENTLY SECRETARY THE ACTING SECRETARY.
THE BUDGET DIRECTOR MICK MULVANEY SENT A LETTER TO THE
REST OF TRUMP OFFICIALS REMINDING THEM OF SOMETHING
YOU'D THINK THEY KNOW. THEY'RE PUBLIC SERVANTS.
EVERY PENNY WE SPEND FROM THE TAXPAYER AND OWE IT TO THE
TAXPAYER TO WORK HARD MANAGING THAT MONEY WISELY AS THE
TAXPAYER MUST DO TO EARN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
BECAUSE SOMETHING IS LEGAL DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT.
THAT'S A LESSON SEVERAL OTHER TRUMP CABINET SECRETARIES MIGHT
WANT TO TAKE TO HEART. STEVE, SCOTT PRUITT, RYAN ZINKE
AND DAVID SHULKIN UNDER FIRE FOR THEIR SWANKY TRAVEL AS WELL.
NOT JUST THE GUILDED TRUMP CABINET DOING THE SPENDING BUT
THE TRUMP KIDS ANNUAL ASPEN, THE FANCY VACATION COST SOME
$300,000. JOINING US DOWN, THE OPINION
WRITER FOR THE "WASHINGTON POST" AND MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR AND
POLITICS REPORTER FOR THE DAILY BEAST.
SO, YOU KNOW, JONATHAN, THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATION THAT'S COME IN
SAYING THEY WERE GOING TO GO AFTER WASTE, FRAUD, ABUSE, WE
CAN'T AFFORD FOOD STAMPS. CAN'T AFFORD HEALTH CARE.
THEY LIVE HIGH ON THE HOG. DID TOM PRICE PAY THE PRICE FOR
LIVING TOO WELL ON THE PUBLIC DIME OR YOUR VIEW, WAS IT LIVING
TOO HIGH IN THE PUBLIC DIME PLUS HEALTH CARE DIDN'T PASS?
>> IT'S THAT, BUT ALSO, THE OTHER THING YOU LEFT OUT,
GETTING BAD HEADLINES THAT REFLECTED POORLY ON THE
PRESIDENT. WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO CARES
ONLY ABOUT WHAT HIS HEADLINES ARE AND SO A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO,
JOY, I TWEETED OUT, LET'S BE CLEAR HERE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT UPSET BY WHAT SECRETARY PRICE DID.
HE'S UPSET BY THE NEGATIVE PRESS CAUSED BY WHAT SECRETARY PRICE
DID, AND SO WITH ALL THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MENTIONED WHO ALSO H HE
THEIR SORT OF FLIGHT GATE PROBLEMS, FLYING AROUND ON
PRIVATE PLANES AT THE EXPENSE OF TAXPAYERS, ONLY SECRETARY PRICE
IS THE ONE WHO'S HAD TO WALK THE PLANK AND IT DIDN'T HELP THAT
HEALTH CARE, TRUMPCARE WENT DOWN IN A BALL OF FLAMES, AGAIN.
BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE ANY OF THOSE OTHER PEOPLE
YOU MENTIONED WALKING THE PLANK IN THE WAY THAT SECRETARY, I'M
SORRY, FORMER SECRETARY PRICE DID.
>> WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF TAX REFORM DOESN'T GO THROUGH AND
THEN STEVE MNUCHIN, HIS TRAVEL MIGHT LOOK MORE INTERESTING.
BETSY, PRICE DID TRY TO REVERSE THE HEADLINES.
HE TRIED TO SORT OF CLEAN THEM UP.
HE OFFERED TO PAY BACK $51,887 BUT NOT THE FULL COST OF THE
PLANES. JUST THE COST OF HIS SEAT.
IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT EFFORT MIGHT HAVE MADE TRUMP
LOOK WEAK? >> I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY EVIDENCE
SUGGESTING THAT AND MY SENSE HERE VERY MUCH IS THAT THE
PLANES WERE BASICALLY JUST AN EXCUSE FOR THE PRESIDENT TO FIRE
SECRETARY PRICE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE TH
WAS LITTLE LOVE LOST BETWEEN PRICE AND PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THESE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT MEN.
PRICE IS SOUTHERN, VERY CONSERVATIVE AND HE'S VERY MUCH
IN THE PAUL RYAN MOLD WHEN IT COMES TO HOW PUBLIC FIGURES
PRESENT THEMSELVES AND HOW THEY PERFORM THEIR WORK.
MEANWHILE, DONALD TRUMP, OF COURSE, DISPOSITIONALLY,
EXTREMELY AT ODDS WITH THAT. MY SENSE IS THAT THEIR
RELATIONSHIP WAS NEVER A PARTICULARLY WARM ONE AND THEN
WHEN YOU COUPLE THAT WITH THE FACT THAT PRICE BECAME THE FACE
OF THIS HUGE FAILURE TO APPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, IT
ACTUALLY, THIS PLANE CRISIS WAS SORT OF MY SENSE, THE SENSE THAT
I GET FROM HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS IS THAT IT WAS A
CONVENIENT REASON FOR THE PRESIDENT TO SHUTTLE OFF PRICE
BUT REMEMBER, THE PRESIDENT HAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH COMFORT
LEVEL WITH CONTROVERSIES. THIS IS A GUY WHO IS WILLING TO
GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT TO WHITE SUPREMACISTS IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE. THE IDEA HE'S WORRIED ABOUT THE
BAD PR FROM PEOPLE ON FANCY PLANES DOESN'T PASS THE LAB
TEST. >> HE HIRED A LOT OF
BILLIONAIRES FOR PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT OPTICS, JONATHAN
AND NOT ONLY PRICE IS THE ONLY ONE.
BUT YOU HAD KELLYANN CONWAY FROM DULLES TO PHILLY AND BACK, ABOUT
$25,000. SHE DID THAT AS WELL.
YOU HAD STEVE MNUCHIN WHO HAD HIS OWN ISSUES WITH SPENDING AND
YOU HAD RYAN ZINKE WHO BACK IN JULY, WHO'S MADE TRIPS THAT WERE
EXPENSIVE AND YOU HAD MIKE PENCE WHO, HIS SUPER BOWL TRIP COST
TAXPAYERS ABOUT 89 GRAND. IT'S NOT LIKE PRICE IS THE ONLY
ONE OR BIG SPENDING BILLIONAIRE. IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING MORE,
RIGHT? >> IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING MORE.
THE DISASTER THAT WAS TRUMPCARE, I AGREE WITH BETSY, IT WAS
PROBABLY PART OF IT. BUT HERE'S THE THING.
JUST BROADLY SPEAKING, JOY, THAT MAKES THIS WHOLE THING SO
GALLING, DONALD TRUMP RAN FOR PRESIDENT SAYING WE'RE GOING TO
DRAIN THIS SWAMP. SECRETARY PRICE WAS ONE OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO WAS ON RECORD BEMOANING SORT OF THIS PROFLAGUT
WAYS OF WASHINGTON AND HE'S DRUMMED OUT OVER HIS USE OF
PRIVATE PLANES LIKE FLAGRANTLY USING PRIVATE PLANES.
WOULD YOU TAKE A PLANE FROM PHILADELPHIA TO NEW YORK OR?
I WOULD NEVER TAKE A PLANE FROM PHILADELPHIA TO WASHINGTON.
TO MY MIND, THAT SHOWS JUST THIS UNBELIEVABLE DISCONNECT BETWEEN,
YOU KNOW, THE WORDS THAT THEY SAY WHEN THEY'RE IN CONGRESS AND
THEN SUDDENLY, THEY ARE WRAPPED IN THE TRAPPINGS OF POWER AND
THEN SUDDENLY, THEY SEE THESE PLANES AND THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THEM. THEY HAVE LOSTE LOST THEIR WAY
THEIR MESSAGE THAT GOT THEM INTO OFFICE IS COMPLETELY IGNORED AND
THEY FORGET THAT THIS MONEY THEY'RE SPENDING ISN'T THEIRS.
IT'S THE TAXPAYER'S. THIS IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE
YET ANOTHER PROBLEM FOR THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO START MAYBE ONE DAY PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FACT
THAT THE WORDS FROM THE CAMPAIGN AND THE WORDS FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION DON'T MATCH THE ACTIONS OF EITHER.
>> BETSY, I WAS TALKING EARLIER ON CHRIS HAYS SHOW ABOUT THE
IDEA THAT TRUMP IS ALMOST TEFLON TO HIS BASE.
THEY SEE HIS GOLD PALACE AS ASPIRATIONAL, THEY'RE FINE WITH
IT. BUT AT A CERTAIN POINT, WHEN
IT'S PRUITT OR ZINKE OR THE TREASURY SECRETARY, IT'S THE
VICE PRESIDENT, THEY'RE ALL LIVING HIGH ON THE HOG ON THE
TAXPAYER DIME. AT A CERTAIN POINT, DOES THE
TRUMP VOTER SAY, WAIT A MINUTE, THEY'RE LAUGHING AT ME.
THEY'RE USING THIS MONEY, THEY'RE USING THESE JOBS AS A
WAY TO PAD THEIR LIFESTYLES AND THEY'RE LITERALLY JUST SORT OF
LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF THOSE WHO WANTED TO DRAIN THE SWAMP.
>> MY SENSE IS THAT TRUMP VOTERS ONLY SAY THAT IF TRUMP HIMSELF
SAYS THAT AND PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE IS ALMOST THIS
GLORIFICATION, IDOLIZATION OF EXTRAORDINARY LEVELS OF WEALTH.
THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WE CONSUME, THE
REALITY TV WE WATCH AND ASPIRATION, RIGHT?
SO THE FACT THAT MNUCHIN'S WIFE WAS POSTING DESIGNERS, I DON'T
THINK IT WOULD TROUBLE THE TRUMP BASE AND IF IT WAS GOING TO, WE
WOULD SEE THEM DIFFERENT. MELANIA TRUMP, IVANKA, NONE ARE
TRYING TO HIDE OR DISGUISE THE FACT THAT THEY'RE
EXTRAORDINARILY WEALTHY. AS LONG AS THE PRESIDENT'S
COMFORTABLE WITH IT, I THINK HIS VOTERS ARE GOING TO BE
COMFORTABLE WITH IT. THUS FAR, I'VE NOT SEEN ANY
INDICATIONS THAT THE PRESIDENT'S OPULENT LIFESTYLE IS GOING TO BE
A LIABILITY FOR HIM WHEN IT COMES TO HIS CABINET MEMBERS,
THE ONLY QUESTION IS, DOES HE DECIDE TO SAY IT'S A PROBLEM?
AS HE DID IN THE CASE OF SECRETARY PRICE OR STICK UP AND
TRY TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION? >> I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER
WHEN THEY CLAIM GOVERNMENT WORKERS WERE ALL OVERPAID AND WE
NEEDED A HIRING FREEZE AND THEY DIDN'T DESERVE THE MONEY THEY
WERE MAKING. HAD TO BUST THE UNIONS.
I REMEMBER THAT, WASN'T THAT LONG AGO.
SORRY, WE'RE OUT OF TIME. BUT QUICKLY, JONATHAN, GO ON.
>> REALLY QUICKLY, LET NO ONE BEGRUDGES BEING WEALTHY IN THE
GOVERNMENT. THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE HERE.
BUT JUST ONE SHOUTOUT TO SECRETARY BETSY DeVOS WHO IS
WILDLY WEALTHY, FLIES ON A PRIVATE PLANE, BUT IT'S HER
PRIVATE PLAN
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The Real Reason Tom Price Resigned | The Last Word | MSNBC

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